SCUBA-DIVING page 1

 "OH SHIT !!!" T hat was my first thought on the day that I was to put all my pool training into practice, I stood on the banks of the River Thames, in winter, about 9degC, fully kitted up, and about to jump into a nearly nil visibility drop of water !! but being the hero ?? I put my face mask on, placed the air hose demand valve between my shivering lips, sucked in about half a tank of air in one go !! and jumped in......................BLOODY HELL !!!! Its freezing. And so started the path to a fantastic hobby that was to bring many joys, I first started learning to dive with the Slough Club, and reached the B.S.A.C. third class standing, the Slough Club was great, making many friends, and going on many trips to Fort Bovisand with them (Fort Bovisand is in Plymouth, and is an old shore post protecting the Plymouth Sound) I had some very good dives in and around Plymouth, I always remember on one dive, we were about 100ft deep, and sitting on the bottom, when a fishing hook came by us !!! looking up, we could see a boat above us, which obviously was full of fishermen out for the day, well at that point, the "buddy" that I was diving with, carefully got hold of the hook, and gave it an almighty tug, it must have frightened the poor old fisherman silly ?? for we could hear bangs and thuds coming from the boat as they all sprang into action, my friend kept hold of the hook for a little while longer, giving some really good tugs, and swimming off a bit to the side before he let it go, It was at this point that I discovered one cannot laugh underwater ??? I had water coming into my mask, I had water coming into my mouth past the "D.V." and was nearly wetting myself thinking of the guys above shouting about "the one that got away" I bet they still talk about that even today ?? the picture below is where we have just returned from that dive, and  we are on the "slip" at bovisand, still laughing !!!!!

                        I am the one in the purple suit and silly grin ?

At a later date I joined the diving team at the Royal Military Police depot based in Chichester, and found that I had to do ALL my training again !!!! but this time to military standards, "wow" thats a lot harder than sports diving, but I am pleased to say that I passed all the tests, and then went on to become a "second class diver" and diving officer, and thats when the real fun began ?? we were once asked by the local history bods, if we would explore a new well that had been found on top of the South Downs, (A big group of hills) so thinking it would be fun, we said yes, but what they did not tell us, was that the well was something like 350ft deep to the top of the water, with another 60 / 70 ft of water in the bottom !!!! but we still explored it, what we had to do was rig up a "gantry" and then feed a thick rope through a pulley that was tied to the top, and then tie one end to a seat that the diver could sit on to go down the hole, and the other end to a land rover that was half way up the field, with communications via radio to the driver, I think the main worry that I had at first, was not the drop to the bottom, or cave inn's, or running out of air, but the thought that a "SPIDER" might drop on me when I was half way down ????? (very brave man me??) some quite interesting things were found down the well, and the historians were very excited about one of the things, but I am sorry to say, it all looked like a load of rubbish to me !!!! I did have some photos of this exercise, but I cant find them, if I come across them soon, then I will add them to the page, one of the biggest things that I used to enjoy was "wreck" diving, and I have found loads of things hidden on or around wrecks, in the photo below are just some of the spoils that had been found on wrecks, and they include..gun shells, bells, bottles, telescopes, ship whistles, port holes, lanterns, big navigation lights, and loads of other stuff,

                     But I think the pride and joy of my "Finds" has to be the lantern that is shown in the picture below, this was on a wreck off the Cornish coast, and it sat in about 195ft of water, "very deep" so we had to decompress on the way up, but I think it was well worth it, it is covered in sea "crud" in the photo, but after all the de-salting, and polishing, it came up like new.

                              ME WITH MY PRIDE AND JOY    

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